What Had Happened Was…

#1

People are going to call me lame but my #1 sporting event of the weekend was Sunday’s Ravens Rookie Camp out in Owings Mills. I know there was a lot of other excitement surrounding actual games that counted, but the fact that I got to get outside, smell the fresh air and watch football was flat out awesome. Don’t put too much stock in anyone that wants to try and breakdown what they saw on Sunday. The truth will be told when all the players put the pads on. Here are some observations from Sunday in Owings Mills after practice was over.  I was most interested in what Tommy Streeter had to say when he addressed the media. This guy has a chip on his shoulder.

He is pretty upset that he wasn’t drafted earlier. We will see how he uses that motivation. He has reached out and started training with Ray Lewis. That’s probably the best decision he has made early in his Ravens career. I don’t know how Courtney Upshaw will work out for this team but he just looks like a football player. He definitely passes the eyeball test, as the scouts say. Ravens 4^th round pick Asa Jackson was a playmaker at Cal-Poly at the CB position. In my opinion his small stature will make it tough for him to make an impact in the Ravens secondary.

It could be exciting to see what he can do in the return game. Doug O’Neill, the trainer for I’ll Have Another, was at practice on Sunday. He brought his horse in early and is really soaking up the Baltimore hospitality. He spent a lot of time with Ravens coach John Harbaugh after practice and will be throwing out the first pitch at Camden Yards before the Orioles vs. Yankees game on Tuesday.

Best non-sports event of the weekend.

Tie between Friday lunch at Dock of the Bay and Mothers Day cornhole at my sister’s house.

Friday lunch at Dock of the Bay was fantastic. Bulldog, Jill and I hung out on the water and ate some great food. It’s getting to be that time of year. Summer is right around the corner. One of the best parts of living in Baltimore is being able to spend time on the water.

Mother’s day for me consisted of covering the Ravens Rookie Camp and then working the Johns Hopkins vs. Stony Brook NCAA Lacrosse first round match-up. By the time the Hopkins game wrapped up (JHU 19-9 over the Seawolves) I still had some time to get to my sister’s house for a late dinner. I got dragged into playing cornhole with my nephew and niece and their friends. That led to one of the greatest comebacks in cornhole history. My daughter and I were down 10-0 and one toss away from getting shutout 11-0. We scored a point and went on to win 21-11.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog. I am headed to Pittsburgh for my cousin’s wedding. It’s going to be a battle of the NFL ties. The Pittsburgh people are wearing Steelers ties. Meanwhile the Baltimore contingent are heading to the Steel city armed with their Ravens ties. I’ll let you know how it goes. Until next time…